February 16, 2017

This is Pulp Figures‘ pack PYP05 ‘The Scarlet Patrol.’ Although intended for the Canadian Yukon, they can also serve (painted khaki) as dismounted Canadian troopers in the Boer War. They are well sculpted, and paint up really well.

I painted them as a gift for a friend, reinforcements for his VBCW forces (As seen on his blog, ‘The View From The Hill’) A group of sharpshooting Colonials was just what they need to tip things in their favour.

I also found a pair of souvenir zinc-cast Moose in the local dollar store. They are well-detailed, and a good size for 28mm. At one dollar each, they would be an economical source of mounts for a fantasy unit of some sort.

I didn’t send them off with the Mounties, I kept them for my Flint & Feather natives to hunt.

June 1, 2015

I mentioned my vicarious participation in a VBCW campaign by making and sending troops and equipment to the fray. This is an earlier contribution, a fearsome tank.

A quick glance will suffice to see that it isn’t in fact accurate to any interwar prototype, although it shares some characteristics with various models. (Even if those characteristics are, having a top, bottom & sides….)

Details may seem crude, but there is a reason for that, aside from my crude modeling skills: I was trying to give it the look of an interwar diecast toy repurposed for wargaming. My main references were therefore pictures on eBay. Some finer details are copied from an Airfix kit, but as you see, there are not really many finer details.

The turret and treads are from an Italieri snap-together 1/72 Sherman.

The treads are shortened by one set of bogies, and meaningless interwar-looking details were added in an attempt to disguise them.

The hull is made from Lego pieces, turned upside down, and with a top plate added. Rivets are pin heads, crazy glued in place. The hatch is a tiddly wink.

Turret details were removed. I used the gun mount supplied, but built a new mantlet and gun(s). The smoke dispensers are pieces of sprue, and the commander’s cupola is a tiddly wink atop a slice off the bottom of a gaming pawn.

I painted it a bronze green to simulate the old Dinky Toy colour scheme, with a yellow-green gas paint swatch. I think it looks quite toy-like, as I intended, but many interwar AFVs did, too.

The ‘Police’ markings were added by its new owner, as it is part of his Police forces.

He has yet to field it, possibly because he fears to arouse jealousy in his companions.

May 25, 2015

A friend of mine in the UK is involved in a VBCW campaign, and I am quite jealous of him. It sounds like a lot of fun.

I am participating vicariously by building support pieces and vehicles and sending them to him, in an effort to pretend I’m involved somehow.

His forces have a mortar section manned by Spanish Civil War veterans from the P.O.U.M., so I made him an armoured lorry crewed by the even more fanatic wives of the P.O.U.M.

In theory, it’s an armoured box on the back with either a rail or positions the guns can be moved to, allowing them each to fire to three arcs of the vehicle. (I have no idea how the rules will treat them, that’s just my theory.)

The basic vehicle is a Lledo piece from eBay. I found one with a good price and low shipping and bid on it. I then found another that was cheaper and had cheaper shipping, and said ‘Buy it Now.’ So I can only advise you to read all the listings before choosing. And yes I won the other auction, so I bought two lorries.

All modifications were done with plastic card, glued on with cyano adhesive.

Armour plate was added to the doors and windows, and either sliding or hinged shutters over the vision slits. There’s also angled plates over the radiator. I copied all the features from various home-made armoured cars of the era.

The markings were copied from P.O.U.M. vehicles in Spain, except for the skull & crossbones. That just seemed fitting.

The guns are Russian HMGs, one with a ribbed water jacket, one without. The front MG also has a gun shield. They are on wire supports for strength, but are supposed to be on the top of the armoured box. (The crew isn’t using monopods)

The crew are modified Dunwich Detective females, available from Spacelords & More. They’ve had long hair and headgear added, and the gunners have had new arms ineptly sculpted.

They are placed on sabots so you can place the guns facing whatever arc you choose. They are supposed to be pushed against the wall, even though I didn’t always do it in the pictures.